Trafficking in Canada

The most common form of the crime of human trafficking in Ontario is sex trafficking. As a form of sexual exploitation, sex trafficking refers to the forced, coercive, fraudulent or deceptive exchange of sex for something of value (for example, money, food, drugs, alcohol, transportation, shelter). This can also include sexual exploitation online, including social media platforms, through sexual imagery or video.

Traffickers often engage with young people through social media and they may also coerce them into recruiting others, including their peers.

How recruitment can Happen"

Sex traffickers purposely develop a bond with the person they are trafficking and manipulate them by making them believe they are better off staying than leaving. This bond is developed in stages, over time.

Luring:

The sex trafficker can be a stranger, someone connected to the victim through social media or someone they know personally. The trafficker may suddenly be very interested in the victim, say nice things, take them out and spend money on them.

Traffickers may manipulate a person by:

• fulfilling their unmet needs, such as love, affection, friendship, a sense of belonging and other basic needs like housing or food security
• using threats, physical violence, emotional abuse, isolation and control

Threats:

The sex trafficker may try to coerce the victim into sex by threatening to expose the things (e.g. explicit photographs) that they’ve done to others. They may also threaten to hurt the victim or someone they care about.

Exploitation:

The sex trafficker’s main goal is to control and exploit the victim by forcing them to have sex in exchange for things they need, want or for money. When someone is being trafficked, their traffickers often control every aspect of their life, including when they eat and sleep, what they wear and who they talk to. People who are being trafficked and people who come into contact with them, may not know or understand that a crime is taking place.

*Government of Ontario